And Like That We Turned Two!

Here’s a look at an article published on CNN Go (Asia) stating the 10 Gifts from Mumbai’s LGBT community.

To add to this, all I will say is that I am confused. Should we declare it as our 2nd Birthday? Or does 2nd anniversary sound most appropriate? On second thoughts, screw it! Birthday or anniversary, all good wishes (naughty ones to be offered ONLY offline) are welcome and we are here waiting with open arms.

And since it’s such a joyous occasion, I get to flaunt my pompous arse (N.B: Broom’s on holiday, so guess who’s the boss now, sillies!). So here’s a look at an article published on CNN Go (Asia) stating the 10 Gifts from Mumbai’s LGBT community. Now I am not sure how well you would take to this since some of you completely believe in the notion “Delhi farts but it’s Mumbai that stinks” …and even if they are spot on…and it cannot be denied that though New Delhi is our political capital, it’s Mumbai’s Queer Politics that keeps it away from being the self-righteous Gay capital. Let’s just say we do have our own set of precious crowning glories.

Starting with none other than our very dearest; the Gay author, fashion guru and the dude sitting pretty on every desi gay guy’s knock out list, Parmesh Shahani. And mind you, the only guy whose criticism of Salman Khan I took very sportingly.

Then we have Mr. Ashok Row Kavi. This man is a legend. Fighting for existence at a time when more than half of our population was not even aware of the word “homosexuality”, Mr. Kavi’s struggle and continuous commitment is something we all should be grateful for. On behalf of Gaysi folks, “Thank you sir…for…for being Gay”.

Next on the list, our now-permanent Queer landmark, Azaad Bazaar. Other than being the only Queer store (straight-friendly too) in this more-than-we-can-handle populated city, what truly gets me all pepped are the two, very young lady entrepreneurs heading this fantastic effort. We are constantly asked to follow our dreams, and here they are living it when many of us simply contend with dreaming. True inspirations, for me they are.

Kashish Film Festival and Queer Ink Book Fair; two fantastic events have taken place in this city. And no, they didn’t happen in some dingy cinema hall or isolated shack. These events took place in broadest of day light, at the jazziest locations, out and loud…colouring the city Pink. Well almost, if it weren’t for the damn smokers, the Hummers, the developers, the metro…ok, I‘ll shut up.

Moving on we have, Hostel Room 131 & Laxmi Tripathi. Now at the expense of exposing my foot-in-mouth disease, I have no freaking clue what the heck are they doing here. Or maybe they are placed here for the Dolly Bindra effect; you know to spice up the O-So-Modest list, I personally don’t think much of Ms. Tripathi. I find her crass, publicity hungry, and someone who conveniently turns her back towards those who support her in exchange for some shallow media bytes…and I could go on but I am certain Broom will haunt me in my sleep if I don’t stop just about now. As for Hostel Room 131, even though the book got thumbs up on Gaysi, it was ripped to shreds in many other public spaces. Rumour has it, the author was so mad with the bad reviews that he personally emailed those who had written it, asking for an apology. Ooppsy! Foot…mouth…disease, shut up!

Thankfully we have other deserving mentions on the list. For instance, the Gay Bombay Support Meet for Parents, Bombay Dost magazine, Gay India Twitter stream and Nitin Karani’s personal blog Queer India. Though I am sure many would agree, Nitin deserves his own spot apart from his blog, in this list. He is after all the official Queer, Mr. Fix it!

And yes…yes, saving the pompous glory for the very last, it gives every inch of my toned 6 pack *advertisement filter*, the immense pleasure of announcing that Gaysi managed to score a spot as well and that too without any selling, flashing, begging, etc.

So here’s wishing all Gaysi folks a very happy birthday…errr…anniversary…err…crap…happy times ahead.

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About the author

Now 30, 100% shudh desi lesbian. Likes living large, and on the edge. Dislikes stagnation, fence sitting and hypocrites. Lives in a bubble of joy, with occasional lapses into drama queendom. Currently nursing a massive crush on actress Chitrangada Singh (kind of eerie, her resemblance to the late Smita Patil, don’t you think?). Aspires to build a fully functional support system for the Gaysi community in India. And most importantly, top the 'Hottest eligible desi-lezzie' list one bright sunny day.

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Gaysi is a space where the Desi-Gay community comes together and shares personal stories, their triumphs and failures, their struggles and their dreams, their hopes and despair. And in doing so, gives other gaysis a sliver of hope too. More